


Wheels Are More Efficient

by Jade_Dragoness



Series: The Body Electric [2]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Backstory, Friendship, Gen, Howard is Not Amused, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-22
Updated: 2012-05-22
Packaged: 2017-11-05 19:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/410379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Dragoness/pseuds/Jade_Dragoness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>C.O.U.L.S.O.N. learns to walk. </p><p>Backstory set in the early days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wheels Are More Efficient

**Author's Note:**

> Written at the request of Kesterel who wanted more early days backstory.

“You can do it, Coulson,” Howard Stark said encouragingly from across the lab. 

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. mapped the distance twice before he shifted his optics at his creator. He ran diagnostic on both legs and received no error reports but then his memory banks had a saved file of his last attempt at walking where he’d received the same lack of error reports. His left knee had failed and he’d fallen forwards nearly smashing his optics against the concrete floor.

“I am not entirely certain of the durability of these appendages,” C.O.U.L.S.O.N. said calmly.

Howard crossed his arms and stared back at his creation. “Are you doubting my ability to put you together?”

“Yes.”

Lt. Nick Fury choked back a laugh, earning himself an irritated look from Howard. The lieutenant had returned three weeks after C.O.U.L.S.O.N.’s activation day. As he’d told C.O.U.L.S.O.N., he wasn’t going to miss his first steps. C.O.U.L.S.O.N. hadn’t understood the significance until Nick had told to run a search on human infants and milestone events.

“You make one mistake in connecting a servo and the robot never lets you forget it,” Howard grumbled. “Come on, you‘ve got to start walking. My kid learned to walk around faster than this.”

“The installation of them was two days ago,” C.O.U.L.S.O.N. said. He analyzed the expression on the creator’s face and found a match to the human emotion of irritability. He could not delay. He also checked the databanks for additional information. “No human being can learn to walk in two days.”

“He‘s got you there, Howard,” Nick said.

“He‘s such a smartass. You know I blame you, Nick.”

“I can deal with that,” Nick said, grinning. His dark eyes sparkled with amusement.

“Wheels are more efficient,” C.O.U.L.S.O.N. declared. It was his second reiteration of this fact. The idea having of wheels was appealing. His databanks had quite a wide range of different models which he analyzed as being capable of moving very quickly. And the risk of him falling again was minimal if he had a stable platform of four wheels, similar to an automobile.

“No wheels! You‘re supposed to pass for human, now move it,” Howard demanded.

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. mapped the distance again and took a slow step. His balance sensors sent his diagnostic processor an urgent report as he tilted forward. He paused, ran an analysis of possible damage he could incur should a joint fail before dismissing the information as irrelevant. The creator was correct; C.O.U.L.S.O.N. ultimately was supposed to be indistinguishable from a human being. Walking therefore was critical. He underscored the importance of completing his purpose in his behavioral programming.

He took another step and tilted to the left only to be caught by a quickly moving Nick.

“Whoa! I got you!” 

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. knew the correct response without needing to check his memory banks. “Thank you,” he said promptly.

With the lieutenant’s help, C.O.U.L.S.O.N. carefully walked twenty-three steps without incident. And once he worked out the use of forward momentum and his arms for additional balance he was walking without assistance within the next ten minutes. The clank of his titanium and steel feet was oddly exciting, although the jarring from the impact kept making his balance sensors wobble erratically.

“So with walking done, next you got to learn to run,” Nick said as he helped C.O.U.L.S.O.N. back onto his stand. C.O.U.L.S.O.N. mimicked a noise of annoyance he’d heard from Howard Stark which made his friend chuckle. He saved the audio and visual to his memory banks. “Come on, Coulson. Once you learn to walk and run, I‘ll teach you how to drive, then you‘ll have your wheels.”

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. saved Nick’s promise to his memory banks. “I‘ll hold you to that.” 

“Not until you have your skin on!” Howard said, without looking up from the instruments he’d used to capture the data readings from C.O.U.L.S.O.N.’s walk. “You know you‘re not allowed out of this room without it.”

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. remembered the prompt Nick had given him to use the next time his creator reminded him of his restriction on leaving the secure lab. He mimicked the heavy sigh Nick demonstrated and said, “Yes, dad.”

As Howard sputtered, Nick nearly suffocated himself from the attempts to muffle his laughter behind his hand.

C.O.U.L.S.O.N. recorded it all through his sensors and saved the video file with audio track to his memory banks.  
*-*-*-*

Once the balance sensor issues had been worked out with some added code, C.O.U.L.S.O.N. was able to go from barely walking to running flat out within 48 hours. 

Although he no longer expressed the sentiment he still wished he had wheels. 

Then Nick got him a skateboard.

Howard didn’t forgive either of them for two months.

End

**Author's Note:**

> More backstories are coming in this ‘verse, but some things needed to be told before others.


End file.
